Buggy sys auth NPCs masslock but won't scan and leave

[RadiKyle]

Leaving fleet carriers to low wake but get mass lock message because there's a system authority ship shadowing me but it doesn't scan and leave, it just sits there like a creeper. So I'm stuck (in a T9!).

Happened several times in different sessions. Re-docking at the FC sometimes unbugs it so it leaves me alone, but not always. Ramming it does nothing lol. I basically have relog to get rid of NPC cops now lol.

This a known bug?

 

[nemolomen]

Interesting, I've never experienced that.

 

[RadiKyle]

 

[RadiKyle]

...Andddd just had it happen twice more And it's also the smaller ships too like Vipers etc, I just didn't notice those before because they're too small to mass lock me.

It seems like the NPCs go into "acquire scan" mode but then if they go outside the carrier's no-fire zone they get stuck in this stalker mode. But I really dunno. Sometimes like 3 ships scan me on the way out but one of them gets stuck following me.

 

[Kira Goto]

I've gotten this myself. It is always those power security bots (different from standard system authority) and is them generally being very scan-happy but for one reason or another, most likely a bug, when one scans you the "Follow around to scan" script does not seem to cancel for the second or more that are basically always in an instance.

Unlike regular security they also don't appear to have a distance boundary to break said behavior and return to patrolling the station/carrier. Not actually been an issue yet for me with Cutter on the main account but since T9 has a stupidly low MLF for the cow of a ship that it is...

 

[RadiKyle]

Yes! This is it, they're def "power play cops" not regular sys auth cops. I've dragged some over 20km from the carrier and they won't let go. Gromies lol

 

[PilotB]

it's usually pythons and I suspect they lack a scanner so just follow but cannot complete the scan. Turn on Allow Notorious docking to remove power and system defence force when in powerplay space or fly something that is either faster or has a higher mass lock than the python.

 

[Kira Goto]

Turn on Allow Notorious docking to remove power and system defence force

I don't think that works, my carrier would have power security near it with notorious docking allowed whenever I parked it in say a stronghold system (not that I tend to check beforehand).

 

[PilotB]

I don't think that works, my carrier would have power security near it with notorious docking allowed whenever I parked it in say a stronghold system (not that I tend to check beforehand).

It's worked on multiple carriers. Allow Notorious docking setting in all cases I've had the setting changed has done what it should do and removed security from around the carrier.

 

[Felix DiCestria]

Power Security does that, annoying if I'm in a T9 and they have a 'Conda. It takes ages to outrun them, or slow down to let them scan you if you aren't pledged.
Otherwise I tend to avoid putting the carrier in Stronghold systems if I'm loading/unloading.
The other method is leave the carrier as the PS ship passes and is heading away, they don't come after you then.

 

[Walter2]

I've gotten this myself. It is always those power security bots (different from standard system authority) and is them generally being very scan-happy but for one reason or another, most likely a bug, when one scans you the "Follow around to scan" script does not seem to cancel for the second or more that are basically always in an instance.

Unlike regular security they also don't appear to have a distance boundary to break said behavior and return to patrolling the station/carrier. Not actually been an issue yet for me with Cutter on the main account but since T9 has a stupidly low MLF for the cow of a ship that it is...

Not always power security - I've had it while building settlements in a new system close to the edge of the bubble - definitely no power influence at all.

 

[Jmanis]

View attachment 434848

Mass lock doesn't come from ships though, it only comes from nearby large structures like stations etc.

Ships cannot mass lock, they only interfere with drive spool-up (through mass lock factor, which is a different thing), slowing down the time it takes to jump away.

tl;dr that ship isn't your issue...

EDIT: And if this is genuinely being caused by the ship, it's a bug and should be reported. But I suspect you're too close to your FC.

EDIT2: To be explicitly clear... ships cause this:

... which won't prevent (low) jump, it will just make it slow. High wake jump is unaffected.

This...

...is only caused by stations, FCs, outposts, asteroid belts, and other "things" FD doesn't want you jumping away from. This prevents any and all FSD spool-up for both low and high waking. It is not caused by ships though.

Again, happy to be wrong here (but that would definitely be a bug), but that screenshot doesn't show all the necessary details.

 

[RadiKyle]

It's worked on multiple carriers. Allow Notorious docking setting in all cases I've had the setting changed has done what it should do and removed security from around the carrier.

These aren't my carriers tho, I don't even have one.

...or slow down to let them scan you if you aren't pledged.

That was the first thing I tried because usually that's all it takes. But the issue here is they aren't scanning and leaving, they just hover there at constant distance regardless of what I do.

Not always power security - I've had it while building settlements in a new system close to the edge of the bubble - definitely no power influence at all.

That's interesting, so maybe it's a more general NPC bug issue than anything to do with power play specifically.

EDIT: And if this is genuinely being caused by the ship, it's a bug and should be reported. But I suspect you're too close to your FC.
This...
View attachment 434865

Don't get hung up on that lol, I dragged that screenshot's NPC back into the carrier's no-fire zone (and mass lock) to see if it would shake them off me, that's when I took the screenshot. Only screenshot I had, but here's another to prove the point... I'm 17 km from the carrier, with the stalker Python sitting constant 1 km on my tail with hardpoints stowed and not doing anything. So like I've described earlier it's def outside any station's mass lock range.

To be clear, the issue isn't that NPC with higher mass lock factor prevent jumps (intended), it's that they sit there glued to my ship and never scan and leave, so it's impossible to jump ever. I have to basically relog the session. When smaller ships (VIpers etc) bug out like this my T9 can still jump, not Pythons and Anacondas, my game session is stuck if I don't redock and re-roll the NPC dice again, or relog.

Ok looks like bug report time... Many thanks to the others who confirmed it. I couldn't find a similar bug report, tho I see a lot in general about NPC behaviour. I'll share my bug report link here soon

 

[Jmanis]

To be clear, the issue isn't that NPC with higher mass lock factor prevent jumps (intended), it's that they sit there glued to my ship and never scan and leave, so it's impossible to jump ever.
...
Ok looks like bug report time... Many thanks to the others who confirmed it. I couldn't find a similar bug report, tho I see a lot in general about NPC behaviour. I'll share my bug report link here soon

View attachment 434868

Like i said. Other ships cannot outright prevent jumping. A T10 next to a sidewinder can only ever slow down a low wake by the sidewinder, and cannot prevent high wake.

Using your own language there, a ship alone cannot make it impossible to jump. That's simply not how the game works.

If you're seeing any ship cause a situation where you cannot high wake due to mass lock, that's a bug and should be reported... but you're doing that now it sounds so goodo

 

[RadiKyle]

Like i said. Other ships cannot outright prevent jumping. A T10 next to a sidewinder can only ever slow down a low wake by the sidewinder, and cannot prevent high wake.

Using your own language there, a ship alone cannot make it impossible to jump. That's simply not how the game works.

If you're seeing any ship cause a situation where you cannot high wake due to mass lock, that's a bug and should be reported... but you're doing that now it sounds so goodo

Sigh. Supercruise, not system jump.
In these cases my T9 charging to supercruise has practically no charging progress after a couple minutes vs the "bugged stalker NPC police Python" and my ship takes heat damage from trying to charge for so long so it's pointless to continue trying. I consider that effectively preventing my jump to supercruise. Sorry if that wasn't clear earlier.

ALL: Bug report here: https://issues.frontierstore.net/issue-detail/77068
Feel free to add your own experiences.

Cheers!